by Rose Pressey
He looked up when I entered. “Do you have any more of that coffee?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I can make some. We’re going to need it to stay awake. Looks like it’ll be a long night.”
I turned on the coffee maker and went back to the table. Cole was still flipping through the pages. That symbol had to be in this book somewhere. I watched helplessly, praying that he’d find something. Anything.
When I heard the coffeemaker stop brewing, I moved into the kitchen and retrieved the coffee, filling the mugs to the top with the hot liquid. “Would you like sugar or cream?” I decided to be polite and ask this time.
I peeked into the other room for his response. He gave me a look as if to say, Are you serious?
“What? A demon hunter can’t use cream or sugar? Is that not macho enough for you?” I placed the mugs on the table and sat.
He continued to flip the pages and I dumped sugar and cream into my coffee. I wasn’t too macho to forgo the good stuff.
“What does all of that mean? There are some frightening pictures in there.” Pages of symbols and monsters looked back at me. “Those don’t look like the demons you pointed out.”
“That’s what they look like underneath. They can make themselves very attractive.” He glanced up from the book.
“Was that why everyone was so good-looking at the party?” I met his gaze.
“You noticed,” he said, then took a drink of the coffee.
He made a face. I guessed my coffee was too strong. That was what he got for not taking the cream or sugar.
“Yeah, it was kind of hard not to. It was like being in a soap opera.” I took a gulp from my mug.
Cole stopped abruptly and peered down at the page. I looked over at the book.
“It’s the symbol from the rings and the house. It lists what the demon wants and his name.” He tapped the page with his index finger.
“That’s good, right?” I felt a brief flicker of hope.
“That’s the demon name, not the name he’ll use here on earth. It would be a normal name like John Smith. He very much wants to blend in with the crowd. It’s easier for him to prey upon people that way.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I guess so. So this information doesn’t really help us much then. Why the hell are we even looking at the book then?”
“Sure it does, it lets us know more about him. I have to say, I’m glad I let you drag me to see the woman. We would have never gotten this book otherwise.” He tried to suppress a smile, but the corners of his mouth tilted up in spite of himself.
I waggled my finger in his direction. “Are you giving me a compliment now?”
“Hey, don’t get cocky just because I gave you a compliment.”
“So tell me what you can about this demon after seeing this book.” I crossed my fingers for good news.
“Like I said, he is after Jennifer’s soul. But all demons want to do that, so that’s nothing new.”
“Go on,” I said.
“This demon will make her reckless, just like you described her. He thrives on that. It’s his mission to collect as many souls as he can. He’s a soul collector.”
“What? That term. I’ve heard it before.” The color probably drained from my face.
He looked at me with wide eyes.
I shook my head. “It was someone I met… or something rather. He hangs out in the cemetery and claimed to help souls cross over into the light.”
He looked at me as if I’d just said I wanted to visit my relatives the aliens. “I’ve never heard of anything like that.”
“Do you think there’s a connection?” I asked.
“I’ve never heard of anything like that. It’s probably someone who was just playing games with you.” He took another sip from his mug. “We need to think of something quick though. Time is running out.”
“You don’t have to remind me. Don’t pressure me,” I said, letting out a pent-up breath.
Cole studied the book again. After a long pause, he looked up at me and said, “I think I know where to find this demon. At least I think I know a way to find him.”
“Well, do tell,” I said.
Excitement raced through my body. Now we were finally on to something.
“I’ll have to show you.” He met my gaze.
I took another drink from my mug.
“There is a portal where all the demons enter. I know what region of hell this demon comes from.”
“There are regions?” I asked.
He nodded, then continued. “There are specific times that they can come and go through the portal. The demons can’t stay in this realm all the time. Only brief periods of time, so this demon will have to travel back and forth. We can be waiting for him there at the right time.”
“That’s all great, but how will we know which one is the right demon? You said he will be in a disguise.” I massaged my temples.
“That’s where we have to trick him into showing his true appearance.” Cole’s expression turned serious.
“Oh, is that so? That easy, huh? Just trick him into it.” I threw my hands up.
“These demons make rookie mistakes a lot. It won’t be as hard as it sounds.” He closed the book.
“I hope you’re right.” I took a deep breath and exhaled.
“Have I let you down yet?” He winked.
I looked at him. “I just met you. You haven’t had time yet.”
Jack’s words about Cole being a demon flooded back to me. I didn’t know Cole at all.
He nodded. “Oh, yeah. Good point. Come on. Let’s get going.” He looked at his watch. “If we hurry we can make it on the next time frame. He’ll be leaving for the other world soon.”
“Kind of like a train or bus, huh? How long do we have?” I looked at my watch.
“An hour,” Cole said.
“Does this mean he can’t control Jennifer when he’s in the other world?” I swallowed the apprehension stuck in my throat as I waited for his answer.
“His power over her is less, yes. But not completely gone.”
I grabbed the keys and we hurried down the steps and back out into the night air. Thankfully Lily was nowhere in sight. The usual people moved up and down the streets taking in the sights and enjoying the night life. Why couldn’t I be one of those people? Why did my life have to be so complicated?
“We’ll head straight there and I can explain how we’ll trick him into showing himself. I do it all the time. They fall for it every time. You’d think they’d eventually catch on, but like I said, they make a lot of mistakes.”
“A crash course in demon tricks. Sounds interesting.” I smiled. “You learn something new every day.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
How to Date a Demon, Rule #24
Dating is one devil of a job.
As I made my way down the stairs from my apartment, I thought back to the rings that Jennifer and this man had been wearing. What was the connection and how would we ever find out? We stormed out onto the sidewalk like a couple of crazy people. I didn’t bother to look around to see if we were garnering strange looks. I assumed it to be the case. Maybe I should have looked around for the demons though. It would be only a matter of time until they came after us.
Cole and I were making our way down the sidewalk. He was keeping up a pretty good pace. A faint glow from the sickle moon cast shadows around every corner. The familiar tingle I got every time I looked at that big white orb pulled at me. I was lucky it wasn’t a full moon or I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from shifting.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going and how we’ll trick the demons? I don’t want to go into this clueless.” I asked, navigating around a street performer.
Cole glanced over at me. I knew by the look in his eyes he wanted to attempt a witty comment.
“If you make one statement about me being clueless, I’ll let you have it,” I warned with a shake of my fist.
“I didn’t say a word,” he said, holding his ha
nds up in defense.
Up ahead I caught a glimpse of a red dress and long blonde hair and I knew instantly it was Jennifer.
“Look. Jennifer just went around that corner.” I pointed.
“Where?” Cole asked breathlessly.
“Right there, around that corner.”
I took off in a sprint, not waiting for Cole to respond or give him time to run with me. He’d do nothing but hold me back.
When I turned the corner, Jennifer wasn’t there. I ran to the end of the alley, coming out on the next street. I looked both ways, but she wasn’t there. What had happened to her? There was no way she’d gotten away that quickly. Jennifer had never been that fast. I exhaled slowly and placed my hands on my hips. What now? I was at my wits’ end.
Had the demon just dumped Jennifer out on the street? That was unlikely. I was surprised to see her alone though. This was my chance though. No stupid demons around to stop me. “Jennifer,” I called out. “Are you here?” I stepped down the sidewalk, but my efforts were pointless. She was obviously not around. Could she have gone into one of the buildings? It was possible, but I couldn’t knock on every single door. I could stop in every business and ask if they’d seen her, but that would take forever and I was running out of time already.
I’d have to take my chances and continue doing what I’d been doing, which was actually not much of anything. I turned around and made my way back down the alley to catch up with Cole. He was even slower than I’d thought.
I stepped back onto the street where I’d left Cole, but he was gone too.
“Cole?” I called out.
No answer. But I hadn’t expected one. A few people walked past and looked at me as if I was from Mars. I glanced down at my hands. No hair. Whew. I was worried that with all the stress I’d started to shift and not realized it. Where was Cole? I needed him right now.
Maybe he’d gone after Jennifer. I pulled my cell phone from my pocket along with his business card and punched in his number. After many rings though, I finally gave up and shoved the phone back in my pocket.
Well this was a fine mess. I knew I’d seen Jennifer. My eyes hadn’t been playing tricks on me. This was no time for Cole to be playing tricks on me. I didn’t know what else to do so I started back toward my apartment.
Once I reached the front door to my building, I knew I couldn’t go inside. I couldn’t just give up now. But what would I do? I needed to think of something quickly. I scanned the area again. There was still no sign of Jennifer or Cole. Then a thought popped into my head. Anna Maria had another book that she had wanted to show me. Were the answers to all of this in that book? I needed to get my hands on that book. I pulled the cell phone from my pocket and found the card that the woman had given me. I slid down on one of the steps behind me.
With a shaky hand, I punched in the numbers and waited while it rang. My leg fidgeted at rapid speed and I tapped my fingers against the concrete step. What was taking her so long? Why didn’t she answer? It would take too much time if I had to go to her house. But after many rings with no answer, I knew I had no choice. I jumped up and headed in that direction. I’d have to make the trip back to her house and hope that I found her.
Naturally, as I hurried down the sidewalk back to her house, the sound of footfalls came from very near behind me. Did I expect anything less? I whirled around, fearing that the demons had caught up with me.
“I have wedding favors to make. Do you plan on helping or not?” Lily threw little imaginary daggers at me with her eyes.
I would have preferred the demons now. I feared that this wedding was driving Lily insane. Well, the rest of the way insane. If not, she was for sure driving me bonkers.
“I’m a little busy here, Lily.” I glared at her.
“Fine. I’ll go with you. Where are we headed?” She matched my pace and caught up to me.
“We are not headed anywhere,” I snapped.
“Look, I know I am driving you a little crazy with the wedding stuff, but I’m stressed too and it looks like you don’t have anyone else to help with whatever the hell it is you’re doing, so why not let me come along.” She bounced along beside me.
I sighed, then said, “Because you will drive me crazy with talk about the wedding.”
I tried to pick up my speed, hoping that she wouldn’t be able to keep up. Apparently, she’d had a power bar for breakfast because my speed was of no effect to her.
“How about if I promise to only ask two questions per hour?” She held up two fingers.
My mouth fell open. “Per hour? How long do you intend on hanging around?”
“For as long as you need someone to help your sorry ass,” she quipped.
I groaned. “Fine.”
Maybe she would be able to help. With what, I wasn’t sure, but it would be good to have someone around if I needed the help. As much of a distraction as Lily was, I realized that I didn’t want to be alone right now, so I’d have to let her tag along.
“Where are we headed?” she asked in a bubbly tone.
“To see a woman who knows all about demons,” I answered hurriedly.
She scoffed. “I swear, Rylie, you can get yourself into the craziest messes.”
“What? Me? What about you?” I pointed at her.
She rolled her eyes and didn’t answer my question. “Did you piss off a demon by setting him up on a terrible date?”
“A demon has Jennifer, I told you that.” I shook my head. She had selective hearing.
“She’s still gone? I just saw her at your place right before I saw you on the sidewalk,” she said nonchalantly.
“Again? What are you talking about? Are you playing games with me?” I whipped around to run back to my building.
Lily grabbed my arm. “Wait, it’s no use. She got in a car with some guy. They looked very comfortable with each other though, so I don’t think a demon is keeping her against her will.”
“Did you get a good look at this guy?” I asked in a panicked tone.
“Yeah, it was the dude I saw you talking to earlier.” She played with the tacky gold necklace dangling from around her neck.
I stopped cold in my tracks and my stomach turned. “Cole?” I asked.
“How should I know what his name is?” She rolled her eyes again.
I grabbed her arms. “Tell me everything.”
Her nostrils flared. “You may be my bridesmaid, but that doesn’t give you the right to touch me. Only Phil touches me.”
Please, I didn’t need that mental picture right now.
She broke free from my grasp.
I took a couple deep breathes to calm myself before I smacked her. “Okay, tell me everything you saw, please.”
She let out an exasperated sigh. “I already told you. She was going down the steps of your apartment, then she got in that guy’s car.”
“How sure are you that it was him?” I stared at her, waiting anxiously for an answer.
“I’m positive. I always remember the good-looking ones.”
I ran my hands through my hair. “And you’re sure they drove away.”
She huffed. “Yes, now I’m tired of telling you the same thing over and over.”
What did I do now? I pulled out my phone and hit redial. Jennifer’s line just rang and rang. I hadn’t expected her to answer. I had hoped, but I hadn’t expected it. I pulled out the card from my pocket and dialed Cole’s number. I didn’t want to talk with him, but if I had to I would.
After many rings, he didn’t answer either. What was going on? I could run back home, but then I’d take the chance that they probably weren’t there anyway. I’d just be wasting time. I’d go with my original plan and visit the woman.
With any luck, she could tell me where to find this demon. Heck, I’d take any information she could or would give.
Lily had her hands on her hips. “So are we just going to stand here or what?”
I shook my head. “No, come on. Let’s go.”
After
a few minutes, we were back in front of the woman’s home. That gargoyle statue still watched me. It felt as if he was sending a warning this time though. I made my way up the porch to the front door with Lily on my heels. I shivered and rubbed my arms. Something didn’t feel right. As we stood there on Anna Maria’s front porch, the house seemed ominous now. There was a tiny glow from a light that shone from the front window, but other than that, there was no movement or sound that would indicate that she was home. A faint whiff of smoke tickled my nostrils. I knocked on the door, but it swung open.
“Hmm. That’s strange,” I said.
I looked at Lily and she just shrugged. “Do you know this woman?” she asked as she stuck her head through the open door.
“Not really. I just met her. She gave me information about the demons.”
Lily clicked her tongue. “Well, I’d say something not so good happened here.”
“What do you mean?” A pang of fear rushed over me.
Lily stepped into the foyer and I slowly followed her. I didn’t like walking into someone’s house when I hadn’t been invited in. A chill ran down my spine. Something definitely didn’t feel right. The woman’s living room was in shambles. The furniture was turned on end and the smell of smoke lingered in the air. Where was she? Panic rose from my feet and settled in my stomach. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that something wasn’t right. I prayed nothing had happened to Anna Maria. That gnawing feeling took hold and I knew this had something to do with my earlier visit. My stomach turned with that thought that I’d brought something evil to this woman. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. I was jumping to conclusions. I didn’t know for sure that this had anything to do with me. Just a sneaking suspicion, that was all.
“Hello,” I called out.
No one answered.
“I think we should get out of here.” Lily’s expression had turned to worry.
If she was saying this, then I knew we needed to get out of there. But how would I find Jennifer? And what if something had happened to this woman?
“I should call the police,” I said.
I’d call the police, but I didn’t have time to hang around and wait for them. There was nothing more I could tell them in person anyway. There was one thing I needed to do before we got out of there though.
